Stranger Things 5 Risks to Bring Back the Show’s Worst Villain Problem
A major problem with the early seasons of Strange things it was his inability to focus on one villain at a time, and the Netflix series risks revisiting that problem in the show’s fifth and final season. Strange things Season 5 has its work cut out for it. The phenomenally popular series received rave reviews when Season 4 hit Netflix, however Strange things Season 5 must wrap up a whole host of subplots after Season 4’s explosive finale.
while Strange things Season 5 could pull off that feat, the odds are stacked against the series. As star Maya Hawke aptly pointed out, Strange things it has many characters, all of them deserve a proper ending to their story. Not only that, but Strange things Season 5’s glut of cast members means it risks repeating a problem that plagued the show in previous outings. Strange things Season 5 will have at least two major villains, and it needs to make both of those threats compelling. Luckily, it is possible Strange things season 5 to get it.
Stranger Things 5 has two big villains (again)
After the end of Strange things season 4, there are two major villains facing off in season 5. The most obvious threat is Vecna, the horror movie inspired by Strange things villain who has been secretly central to the series’ story since the pilot episode. However, there is also the army chasing Eleven, led by Colonel Jack Sullivan. Judging by their casual approach to torture and murder in Season 4, these villains have no qualms about killing Eleven and her friends. Not only that, but as evidenced by his ability to defeat Dr. Brenner (who survived a Demogorgon attack), the army is also a ruthlessly effective villain.
This could pose a problem for Strange things season 5. In previous seasons, Strange things has struggled to split its focus between various villains. In season 1, Strange things made both Hawkins Lab and Demogorgon compelling villains, but these two antagonists were vastly different in scale. In season 2, Strange things redeemed Steve Harrington as he made Billy the most violent and deranged of the show’s non-supernatural villains, but despite Dacre Montgomery’s standout turn, Billy never registered as a major threat when compared to a fringe of Demogorgons. In the same way, Strange things Season 3 made Billy the Mind Flayer, a genuinely menacing monster, but also wasted screen time on ineffectual Russian scientists.
Why the Hawkins Lab storyline worked in Stranger Things Season 1
In theory, the doctors and technicians at Hawkins Lab should have been no more threatening than the Russians in Strange things season 3, but season 1 made these minor villains effective. Since it was clear that the Demogorgon was a lone monster escaping containment, viewers knew that the bloodthirsty monster was the immediate, life-or-death threat, while the dark conspiracy taking place at Hawkins Lab was more soon a widespread existential threat. . However, this will not work with the military Strange things sseason 5
Already, the death of Eddie a Strange things Season 4 showed that Vecna is a lethal and murderous villain, and his explanation of his plan showed that Vecna also has big ambitions to take over all of Hawkins (and possibly the world). Meanwhile, the army’s large-scale assault on the Byers’ home, which resulted in the deaths of two guards, and their murder of Dr. Brenner and everyone else involved in the NINA project made it clear that they, too, are evil on a grand scale. with the resources, manpower and ambition to kill the entire cast Strange things season 5 if that’s what they need to take down the Eleven.
Why the Russian plot slowed down Season 3
The problem with Strange things Season 5 with two huge, unstoppable, unrelated villains can be seen in the Russian subplot of Season 3. Soviet scientists under the mall almost kill Robin and Steve, but before the end, their role isn’t much bigger that Argyle’s role in Strange things season 4 thanks to the over-writing of season 3. In season 1, a foreign government secretly invading Hawkins would have been a big enough threat to sustain an entire season, while for Strange things season 3, the presence of military scientists barely makes an impact thanks to Billy’s gigantic meat monster.
As a result, the story of Strange things Season 3 felt pulled in two directions between a non-supernatural threat of catastrophic proportions and a similarly apocalyptic paranormal issue. These two plots never naturally intersected, even the ending split the main cast Strange things between an underground Russian base and Starcourt Mall. Despite this, Strange things Season 5 can avoid repeating this mistake by keeping its cast together, dealing with the military and Colonel Jack Sullivan first, and then targeting Vecna in Season 5 Part 2. That way, Strange things Season 5 reduces the risk of making its two villains less effective.
How Stranger Things Season 5 Can Make the Army a Better Villain
Currently, the army and its leader are a dangerous but distant threat Strange things. Once Eleven escaped from Project NINA, the military’s role effectively ended, though viewers can be sure they’ll show up in Hawkins after the explosive events that shook the city in Strange things season 4 finale. That would be the best way to handle the subplot, with the army arriving and trying to capture Eleven while Vecna recovers from her battle against the psychic teenager. Mike hiding Eleven from the army would return Strange things the sweetest story of Season 1, while the army looking for Hawkins would give Vecna and Eleven time to recover.
Why Vecna Shouldn’t Be the Main Villain of Season 5, Part 1
Much of what made Vecna such an effective villain Strange things Season 4 was the character’s slow-burn introduction. It took the main characters numerous episodes to even come face-to-face with Vecna, and the season was almost over before viewers learned her backstory. Strange things Season 5 needs to reintroduce some mystery now that the character’s entire life story and grand plan have been revealed, and the best way to do that is to hide it for the first part of Strange things season 5. If the final season is divided as Strange things Season 4, Part 1 should focus on the military, while Part 2 reintroduces Vecna, thus maximizing the impact of both villains.